Catamenial garment.



L. ALDEN. GATAMENIAL GARMBN T. APPLICATION 1111111) MAR. 10, 1911.

1,041,225. Patented Oct. 15, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPM to WASHINGTON. D- c.

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LUCY ALDEN, or sAornAw, MICHIGAN.

CATAMENIAL GARMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 15,1912.

Application filed March 10, 1911. Serial No. 613,596.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUCY ALDEN, a c tizen of the United States, residing at Saginaw,

in the county of Saginaw and State of This invention relates to cat-amenial garout in the claim.

The objects of my invention are to pro vide a cat-amenial garment that can be easily applied and removed, that will not roll or become displaced, that will not only hold the absorbent cloth or pad in position, but will also possess the additional function of a fluid retainer and a shield or guard to prevent soiling the clothing if the absorbent pad becomes saturated.

A further object is to provide a garment that may be used as a bandage after confinement or after surgical operations, being so constructed as to retain its position with comfort while the patient lies in bed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view with the pad removed; Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line g of Fig. 1, the pad being indicated by dotted lines; Fig. 3 is a side view; and Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section on line w-w of Fig. 1. v

In the drawings, the device comprises a sack of rubber, oiled silk, or other moistureproof material, the sack being formed of a bottom member 1, and a top member 2, the sack being of any suitable contour, as for illustration that shown in Fig. 1, consisting of a substantially rectangular body with pointed ends. The top member 2 is formed with a centrally located elongated aperture 3, the edges of which may be reinforced with tape.

At the front end of the sack is secured a tape 4 which is stitched along the under side of the top member 2, from the point of the sack to the opening 3, the tape having its outer free end provided with a suitable fastening device, as a safety pin 5, for attachment to the clothing of the wearer, and having its inner free end extending into the aperture 3 and similarly provided with a safety pin 6 for attachment to the absorbent pad or napkin 7, preferably pinned to the under side of the pad, as indicated in Figs. 2, 3

and 4:. Secured to the top member 2 at each lateral edge of aperture 3 is a side tape 8, having a safety pin 9 at its free end.

Pad 7 having been placed in the sack through the opening 3 and having been pinned at its under side by the pins 6 with 'the front and rear ends of the pad projecting out and overlapping the front and rear portions of the top member 2 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, tape a is then pinned in front to the clothing, or if preferred, to a band (not shown) and rear tape 10 is similarly pinned at the back. The side tapes 8 are next drawn outward and passed down inside the leg of the wearers clothing, as for illustration the under-drawers, indicated at 11 in Fig. 2, and the tapes are there pinned to the drawers. It will be seen that drawing out the tapes 8 as described, spreads the aperture 3 laterally, and that the inner edges of the top member 2 curl outwardly and downwardly, overlapping and enveloping the top edges 12 of the leg of the drawers and thereby preventing the clothing from becoming soiled. It will also be seen that this lateral spreading of the aperture 3 not only prevents the moisture-proof top 2 from overlapping the absorbent surface of the pad. but also forms a sack or pocket that fits the body closely and effectually collects all fluid that is not absorbed and retained by the pad.

When the device is used in surgical and confinement cases, where the patient is not wearing underclothing to which the tape 8 may be attached, as above described, a bandage 13 may be applied to each leg, to which bandage the pin 9 is secured.

By extending the tape 1 along the underside of the top member 2 and securing its pin 6 to the pad, while the outer end of the tape is secured to the clothing by pin 5, it will be noted that I remove all strain from the sack. The pad is thus held in place by the tension of the tapes, leaving the sack to perform merely the functions of a receptacle and a shield for the clothing, thereby reducing liability of tearing or wearing out the sack, and rendering it more durable. V

The pad has no straps across its upper surface, and no part of the device except the moisture-proof sack and the pad itself are exposed to contact with fluid, increasing the value and usefulness of the device fro a sanitary point of view.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A catamenial garment comprising a sack composed of a non-absorbentbottom member, a non-absorbent top member secured thereto and formed with a centrally disposed elongated aperture; longitudinal tapes secured to the front and rear portions of said sack, the inner free ends of said tapes projecting into the space between said members and provided with fastening means; side tapes secured at their inner ends to the lateral edges of said top member sur- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. 

